SYDNEY, Australia: US oil prices inched higher on Friday after a report from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries showed its production fell sharply last month, easing fears about prolonged oversupply.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $52.40 per barrel at 0026 GMT, up 32 cents, or 0.6 percent, from their last settlement. WTI futures closed down 0.4 percent on Thursday.
International Brent crude oil futures had yet to trade, after closing up 1.1 percent in the previous session.
OPEC cut oil output sharply in December before a new accord to limit supply took effect on Jan. 1, it said on Thursday, suggesting that producers have made a strong start to averting a glut in 2019 as a slowing economy curbs demand.
“The OPEC+ production cuts (that stared this month) will be paramount to keeping the market tight and supporting prices,” ANZ said in a research note. The body is making cuts along with other major producers such as Russia.
OPEC said in its monthly report that its oil output fell by 751,000 barrels per day (bpd) in December to 31.58 million bpd, the biggest month-on-month drop in almost two years.
But tempering that support for prices, OPEC also cut its forecast for average daily demand for its crude in 2019 to 30.83 million barrels, down 910,000 bpd from the 2018 average.
Oil prices edge up as OPEC says its crude output fell sharply in December
Oil prices edge up as OPEC says its crude output fell sharply in December
- OPEC cut oil output sharply in December before a new accord to limit supply took effect on Jan. 1
Closing Bell: Saudi Arabia’s main index closes in red at 10,364
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index closed lower on Sunday, shedding 185.05 points, or 1.75 percent, to end the session at 10,364.03.
Total trading turnover on the benchmark index stood at SR2.55 billion ($680 million), with 20 stocks advancing and 237 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also retreated, falling 0.63 percent, or 147.19 points, to close at 23,371.82.
The MSCI Tadawul Index slipped 1.71 percent to 1,369.56.
Saudi Industrial Export Co. was the top gainer on the main market, with its share price jumping 9.87 percent to SR2.56.
Shares of Naqi Water Co. rose 2.53 percent to SR58.80, while Shatirah House Restaurant Co. advanced 2.18 percent to SR9.39.
On the downside, Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. posted the steepest decline, with its share price falling 4.61 percent to SR10.14.
On the announcements front, Scientific & Medical Equipment House Co. said it had been awarded a contract valued at SR260.98 million by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to supply uncooked food materials and catering items to beneficiaries at the ministry’s residential branches across the Kingdom.
The project scope also includes providing cooked meals to selected anti-begging offices over a 24-month period, according to a Tadawul statement. The company added that the financial impact of the contract will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
It said further developments would be disclosed in due course after all relevant parties sign the final contract and a copy is received.
Shares of Scientific & Medical Equipment House Co. edged up 0.31 percent to SR32.44.
Separately, Dr. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Co. and its subsidiaries signed an agreement with Oloof Development Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazan Municipality, to lease a strategic land plot in Jazan City for SR217.99 million.
According to a Tadawul statement, the land, which spans 34,581 sq. meters, will be used to develop an integrated healthcare facility under a 50-year lease.
The company said the financial impact of the agreement is expected to begin once the medical facility is completed and becomes operational.
Shares of Dr. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Co. fell 1.92 percent to SR33.74.
